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Friday, April 10, 2009

Does the world have to be civilized in the same way it was, or can it be a new kind of civilized?

Currently there is a town near where I live that passed a "Saggy Pants" law. If you are a young man (typically male) and you are found with your pants down to where your underwear are exposed...you are taken to jail and fined.

Now, I see that one 18 year old male has found a lawyer who is willing to fight for this young man's rights to wear his pants down and exposing his butt wrapped in his underpants.

Interesting.

They brought in a fashion expert who stated that this style of dress is an expression, and an accepted form of fashion!

My first thought was "What has happened to JUST BEING CIVILIZED"!!!!! It seems almost vulgar to me to see someone with their but and underwear all exposed (pants down under the entire buttock)...but later today...as more time passed along...

I thought...well, who is to say that we can't just live in this new progressive world, in a "new" sort of civilization...is it SO bad that maybe some of us have to have an attitude adjustment. Should we even care? Where SHOULD we draw the line? Or should we draw a line? Gee...I'm wondering all of these questions after hearing about the Saggy Pants law suit this morning.

One thing I don't want to become is someone who is unable to see new ideas.

So you think someone should be sent to jail because of their clothing choices? They aren't exposing themselves and they are considerably more dressed than any Hollywood starlett on the red carpet or college girl on spring break. I have a much bigger problem with a society that thinks that it has a right to make what someone wears a law. BTW - I like the new background!

Origionally, the saggy pants were confined to gang bangers in Las Angeles.

When you're arrested, the police confiscate your belt, so that you can't harm yourself or others while you're in jail. This makes your pants, which are 2 or 3 sizes too big in order to make it easier to hide contraband and weapons, fall down. This was cool, because for certain members of our society being arrested means that you're a big tough criminal...

This bled over into rap music culture, and into general society, and has been adopted by young men as a fashion, even though most of them don't know the origin of it...

Does it bother me? Yes, because I think it's ugly, but as long as certain parts of the anatomy remain covered, I don't think it's anything to get up in arms about. I certainly wore some hideous things when I was younger... they'll grow out of it when they have to get a job.

And I should also add... that they're always grabbing said pants to lift them up enough to walk, and it always reminds me of anitbellum ladies and their long skirts... which is the exact oposite of what they're trying to achieve...

Civilized, not civilized -- mostly I think it just looks silly. I saw someone a couple years back who had his pants down about as far as the guy in your picture there and had to just burst out laughing. I mean, there's accepting a new style, and then there's taking it to ridiculous extremes. It'll be over soon enough anyway: fashion always marches on.

I would be bothered by a law that permitted people to be taken to jail and fined over how they wear their pants. This is not something I think a civilized society ought to do. There's no actual public nudity involved, and people show a lot more skin at the beach and nobody minds. It may be dumb, but it's not harming anybody.

What I think is going on with these laws is, I think it's an excuse for the police to hassle and jail young black men, who are the main ones wearing their pants this way, and who (demographically speaking) already have enough problems. When people throw around statistics about African-Americans being more likely to wind up in jail, well, yes. Of course they do, because we throw them in jail for dressing how they want to, whether it's hurting anybody around them or not. If we criminalized golf slacks pulled up to one's nipples, there'd be a lot of white retirees in jail.

So . . . yeah. I think it's a dumb law, I think it's a dumb fashion, and I think the law is worse because it's purposely discriminatory. So I'm with the lawyer.

i couldn't agree with you more. when i see a heavily pregnant young woman (often unmarried these days )with her stretch-marked belly hanging out for all to see, i want to shake her and ask her if she has ever heard of modesty!! it reminds me of when the 'hoodies' came out...they have become associated with gangs and bad kids now, so regular kids can't wear them any more. this fashion of the pants is disgusting...sigh is it just my age??

I feel the same way you do Julie and these young adults need to show some dignity out in public. I think it looks vulgar also plus they can not even walk. What if they had to run for their life? There is now way they could and I would think it makes them a target. There are better ways a person can express themselves.

Mr Subjective- You know, I thought the law was a good idea in the beginning...now I just think it is crazy. Everything seems crazy in the world right now. Maybe I am getting too old and set in my ways, but I DO TRY to keep an open mind, and as I said I do not want to be someone who cannot be open to new things!

well in the eighties I wanted to wear a bubble skirt, but my mum would not let me...so who am I to comment on this most ridiculous new fashion. Its history is very interesting. I see young kids in one of the most expensive protected suburbs here wearing there pants like that. I bet they dont know what they are even doing/symbolizing!

I don't think it any worse than some girls (women) wearing a black bra under a white sheer blouse with the straps hanging out. UGH that should be against the law in my mind. Geez, just relax, this too shall pass. Heck, I got kicked out of high school for a day for wearing trousers. Bad at the time.

Geez, I thought that style went out of 'fashion' years ago. While I think this particular fashion statement looks ridiculous, I don't think anyone has the right to tell another how to dress, let alone a government body. They need to stop trying to control people's lives.

i agree w/ mr. subjunctive. as a law student, i've noticed that there are several laws similar to this one, and they almost exclusively affect a minority group (in this case, young black males), who are already hassled by law enforcement enough. i think laws like this are pretextual and only further racism.

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About Me

I live in garden zone 10 (south Florida), and have a garden made from tires. I love embroidery, paper crafting, recycle crafts, a bit of machine sewing, and playing around with plants, particularly succulents, roses, and vegetables. I love my chihuahua and Betta fish, weekend trips and mostly just having fun! Oh, and I am slightly (OK,... majorly) obsessed with South Korea!